Winter 2012-13 November 2012 - January 2013

Don’t Miss Tir Coed’s

Timber Construction Apprenticeship Recruiting Soon!

becky@tircoed.org.uk

School visit to Name-sake Woods A primary school visit with pupils from Ysgol Rhys Prichard was or-

ganised to Poor Man’s Wood.

On a pleasant November morn-

ing, 10 pupils aged 7 – 9 years,

and 3 staff members came to

explore this Wildlife Trust Re-

serve. Environmental play facili-

tator, Jo Steadman, led the ac-

tivities, beginning with lunch and

toasted marshmallows around

the fire, then environmental ac-

tivities, including den-building

and nature exploration games.

Even though this woodland was

gifted to the town of Llandovery in

the 16th century by Vicar Rhys

Pritchard, the school’s name-sake,

the majority of the group had never

been to, or heard of this woodland.

The group thoroughly enjoyed the

afternoon, and the staff said that

they would visit the Reserve with

pupils in the future.

The children commented: “I loved

what we did today.”, “I’m going to

come here again over the week-

end”, “(it was) special” and, “I liked

falling over in the mud!”

There are 4 extra sessions planned at Poor Man’s Wood during Feb-

ruary. We are inviting back the young volunteers from both previous

programmes to undertake coppicing work on the hazel that borders

the main footpath. As well as opening up the access through the

Reserve, the coppicing work will bring much-needed sunlight into the

Reserve, which will help to revitalise the woodland flora.

Newsletter

WICKED Branching Out / Egin

Inside this Newsletter

• Communities And Nature

• The VINE Pilot • Monitoring and

Evaluation

• The Apprenticeship Project

• Branching Out/Egin News

• WiseWoods Wales

Guided Walk

Coed Simdde Lwyd Tuesday 26th March

10:00am

Leader: Red Liford

Length: 3 miles

Grade: very steep .

Bring: suitable footwear

Meet: Rheidol Power Station Visitor Centre car park, Cwm Rheidol

Contact becky@tircoed.org.uk

Communities And Nature

Pengelli Forest, Eglwyswrw June 2012 to March 2013

With more works for the group scheduled, including a carved wel-

come sign and the creation of benches to form a ‘fire circle’, the

Pengelli programme has been extended to March. It is hoped that

the new welcome sign will encourage more passers-by to visit this

65 hectare ancient woodland. The fire circle, to be installed in the

woodland clearing, will encourage use by the local primary school;

the Head Teacher wishes her pupils to build a relationship with

the Reserve as part of their outdoor learning programme. There

will be 3 woodland exploration days organised during March to

help introduce the school to the woodland; see the Spring News-

letter for details.

This Branching Out programme has been incredibly fluid, with volunteers

moving in and out of the programme, due to a variety of life-changes and so-

cial problems, but we are pleased to welcome another 4 new volunteers to

the group. The 6 current volunteers have completed a very attractive foot-

bridge over a small stream, which enables visitors to complete a circular route

around the Reserve. The group have started on building and installing board-

walk sections which will aid visitor access to the wetter parts of the site —

muddy work, but well worth it!

Lead: Jamie Miller Support: Steve Parkin Tasters: 4 Sessions: 25 No. volunteer days: 130 No. volunteer hours: 771 Total no. volunteers 18 No. current volunteers: 6

Feedback: “We had a great time on

Tuesday. Unfortunately we cant make

next week (as it’s) the school half term

but xxx wanted to come along; he was

disappointed that he has to miss it. Ja-

mie is a fantastic bloke and a great fa-

cilitator! I forgot how good your projects

are! Thanks.”

Tim Evans,

Carmarthenshire Youth Service

Communities And Nature

Coed Simdde Lwyd, Cwm Rheidol October to November 2012

The volunteers at Coed Simdde Lwyd group are all teenagers

that have been referred from Rathbone Training. Unfortunately,

problems with Rathbone staffing, combined with the arduous

terrain have led to sporadic attendance for many of the young

people. However, 3 of the group have laboured hard on this

extremely steep site and the work that these young people

have produced is splendid, with the creation of a new footpath

of over 800 metres, enabling 1.5 km of new access. The young

people have also installed information panels and created 2

benches, using Coed Simdde oak.

Now that the works are completed there has been a guided

walk organised at Coed Simdde which will be led by bird ex-

pert Red Liford. The walk will take a route through the oak

woodland on the new footpath. A strenuous climb, but walkers will be rewarded by spectacular views across the Rheidol Valley.

Lead: Rob Smith Support: Trina Earl Sessions: 12 No. volunteer days: 29 No. volunteer hours: 145 Total no. volunteers 7 No. current volunteers: 3

Accreditation: Agored Cymru (OCN) Unit Level Total

Achieved Practical Conservation Skills 1 1

Most participants didn’t complete accreditation, due to leaving project early

Progression Work placement

Cambrian Printers 1

Tuesday 26th March 10:00am

Leader: Red Liford Length: 3 miles

Grade: very steep footpaths Bring: suitable footwear

Meet: Rheidol Power Station Visitor Centre car park, Cwm Rheidol

Volunteering In the Natural Environment (VINE) Pilot

Coed Tyllwyd, North Ceredigion, - August to December 2012

The Coed Tyllwyd group

has been a particularly fluid one with a number of participants joining & leaving in relatively quick

succession. Dyfed-Powys Police has discovered the benefits of Tir Coed

projects and has been able to refer and support some of its ‘New Road’

clients to join in these woodland opportunities. Positive links have now

been made and this partnership has proved to be very fruitful so far. There has been a solid core of 3 individuals who have continued through-

out to be very hard-working and committed, often braving atrocious

weather in order to complete the tasks in hand.

On a few occasions, when the weather conditions have been too severe, notably during periods of extreme high winds, the group has retreated to

Coed Tamsin where the workshops have provided some welcome respite,

warmth and a variety of other skill development opportunities.

Tool maintenance and refurbishment turned out to be quite a hit with the

participants; discovering how to sharpen tool blades correctly as well as learning how to make replacement handles, from selecting the timber to

marking, shaping and securing it ready for use. Each individual grew in

stature with a great sense of pride and achievement and was eager to

show off their handiwork to visitors, friends and family alike. The group

has definitely benefitted from Bob Shaw’s immense skills & knowledge in all things ’woodland’, whether it be the processes of low impact woodland

management and the importance of biodiversity, or understanding more

about the tools of the trade. Bob and Ffion have proved to be an incredi-

ble team, sensitively catering for each individuals needs, whilst offering challenges with support to boost confidence!

More achievements will come for the 3 participants who have managed to

complete their Agored Cymru Sustainable Woodland Management 1,2 &

3, Level 1 units. Workbooks are being assessed and certificates will be

applied for once this process is completed. Well Done all!

Lead: Bob Shaw Support: Ffion Farnell Tasters: 4 Sessions: 27 No. volunteer days: 113 No. volunteer hours: 874 Total no. volunteers 11 No. current volunteers 3

Volunteering In the Natural Environment (VINE) Pilot

Bolbro Woods, Abermule, Powys - November 2012 to March 2013

The second VINE Pilot group started in the

middle of November with a small number of

participants attending the first few sessions.

A huge amount of work has been done locally, by the support tutor, to publicise the project and

encourage referrals from a wide variety of organisations and youth agencies. Although there is

much interest in the project and the benefits it can provide, it seems that so far this has not trans-

lated into direct referrals. Where it has, the motivation of the individuals concerned has not been

strong and several have wavered at the slightest opportunity, never to be seen again!

The bad weather, particularly the snow, has often added to the difficulties, but all credit goes to

Colin, the tutor & Carol, the support tutor, for ensuring that the sessions each week provide lots of

positive activities for those who do attend.

There is now an established core of 3 participants who are totally committed to learning new skills

and developing their understanding of woodland management processes. They have begun thin-

ning in an area of woodland not touched for the last 30 years. Coppicing skills have been the

main focus but the group has also started to learn about how to process the thinnings; selecting

and sorting for different uses, learning how to cleave smaller timbers or how to split large logs for

firewood, developing a greater under-

standing of how and why habitat piles

are created as well as how to dispose

of any waste through a process of

controlled burning.

The group are now keen to start work

on their Agored Cymru, Level 1 Sus-

tainable Woodland Management unit

and are building up their skills to en-

sure that this will become a positive

record of their achievements.

Lead: Colin Titley Support: Carol Thomas Tasters: 4 Sessions: 14 No. volunteer days: 52 No. volunteer hours: 360 Total no. volunteers 5 No. current volunteers 3

Monitoring and Evaluation

Positive feedback comments from project participants.

How do you feel this project has helped you?

Do you think you have achieved more than you expected to?

Any Improvements?

Monitoring Questionnaire

“Helped hugely!

Learnt new skills and made me

more confident with tool use.”

“ Helped me meet people with

similar interests and taught

me new skills.”

“Amazing experience!

Forged new friendships.” “It gave me the time & space

to build up my confidence &

now I’ve passed my driving

test!”

“I have met some brilliant, inspiring

people.

I have gained more confidence for

woodworking & woodland

management”

“It’s helped me to gain

confidence & learn new

skills, like getting to meet

people”

“Yes, I cut down a tree with

an axe!”

“Not more, as I am

ambitious and have high

expectations of myself”

“less questionnaires!!”

“Yes, picked up a wealth of

knowledge. Hands-on

instruction has helped.”

“No improvements!

It’s been excellent!”

“Yes, I’ve learnt how to

use different tools”

The Apprenticeship Project

Interviews for the 2 Woodland Management Appren-

tices took place in early November. 7 candidates

undertook practical exercises at Coed Tyllwyd in

Llanfarian. The tasks were chosen to demonstrate

the candidates’ stamina, agility, group work and tool

accuracy. The candidates were all very focused and

their work vigorous. It was extremely difficult to se-

lect for formal interviews in the afternoon, as all of the candidates would

have benefitted from and brought a lot to an Apprenticeship, but unfortunately the choice had to be

made and 4 went through to the second stage.

Following the selection process, 2 Apprentices came into post in the last week of November. Tony

Vallance has been placed with Tir Coed’s Social Enterprise, WiseWoods Wales whilst Milo Ames is

being mentored by Woodsman Rob Smith, and is undertaking a variety of woodland work, with Wise-

Woods, at Rob’s wood in Newquay, and is also assisting Rob on Tir Coed volunteer projects.

Tony has undertaken a vast number of tasks and achieved a great deal in the short time that he’s

been working with WiseWoods. After starting the placement with helping to assemble the WiseWoods

new saw mill (yes, it arrived in many separate boxes!) he has been undertaking much-needed thin-

ning at Coed Tyllwyd, as well as helping with footpath improvement and product development. At the

Llanarchaeron Winter Fair in December, Tony trialled his design for decorative reindeer, which was

very popular with customers. Tony has recently passed his chainsaw (CS30 & 31) assessment, and

also achieved an NPTC Level 2 Forest Machine Operations (FMO1) certificate; he is currently under-

taking FMO training to operate the WiseWoods saw mill.

Milo has also been working hard with Rob to bring an undermanaged woodland back to health. This

has involved tree selection and felling, as well as bramble clearance. Milo undertook the 3-day chain-

saw training but has decided to wait until he has had more practice before he undertakes an assess-

ment. He has also been helping WiseWoods with workbench construction. In addition to his work

with Tir Coed, Milo is also spending 2 days a week with Ben Gray at Pen yr Allt woods, helping with

volunteer groups and managing this woodland with Ben.

Tony’s design for wooden reindeer went down a treat at

the Christmas Fair

Branching Out/ Egin News

Following a successful first round People and Places application to the Big Lot-

tery Fund, the Tir Coed Development Officer is working towards the final appli-

cation. Tir Coed will know the outcome of this funding application by September

2013.

VINE (Volunteering In the Natural Environment) will focus on 3 woodland sites,

Coed Tyllwyd near Aberystwyth, Long Wood, Lampeter and Allt Goch in Llanid-

loes. Community consultations carried out so far, and discussions with commu-

nity woodland groups and other organisations highlight that VINE is a much

needed project in the area, and the Tir Coed team are excited about its devel-

opment.

Tir Coed is also seeking funding from the Tudor Trust to implement VINE and

has been successful in the first application round.

Funding for Tools, publicity and Instructor fees, as well as a large canvas tent

for Open Activity days has been awarded to Tir Coed by Cynnal y Cardi.

Tir Coed has also been awarded £5,000 from the Lottery Awards for All pro-

gramme, to deliver a Pilot project in the Heads of the Valleys. The project will

take place over the Spring months.

Tir Coed is currently awaiting news on 3 funding applications for future work –

keep your fingers crossed!

The One Tree Day invites local artists and craftspeople to join Tir Coed to explore the creative possibilities provided by a single chestnut tree,

at Coed Tyllwyd, Llanfarian, on Wednesday 20th March at 10am. From when it was first planted, through its years of growth and management, to

the felling of the tree and its milling, to the wood users that will be working with

the chestnut timber; all of this forms part of the tree’s life-story.

This is your opportunity to get involved in a unique project! The One Tree Day will give participants the opportunity to select a section of

Chestnut and convert it using imagination as a guide!

One Tree Day participants will be able to exhibit and sell their finished work at

Coed Tyllwyd Open Day on Sunday 28th July

Contact: becky@tircoed.org.uk for more details

n

VINE Funding Update

The One Tree Day

WiseWoods Wales (WWW)

The winter period has been very productive for WiseWoods

Wales.

Despite very heavy rain and

high winds, we have man-

aged to complete our wood

products shelter, so at least we have a dry place to work if the side

winds aren’t too strong!

At the beginning of the year

three apprentices and one volunteer took a chainsaw tree felling

course. Following the training, two of the apprentices, Tony Val-

lance and Ben Morgan were successful in passing the assess-

ment for their NPTC Chainsaw test.

We have also carried out a tractor and winching course, and

Andy Bakewell and Tony Vallance have successfully passed this

training.

Orders have been flooding in for firewood shelters, work benches, firewood and sawn timber.

One notable order is for seven chunky benches for the Ystwyth Trail which is being supported by Cere-

digion County Council and the local Community Council.

We are also supporting the local primary school (Llanfarian) by

donating some bird box making kits for the children to assemble.

We are now working hard to build up timber stocks to last us

through the nesting season.

In the pipeline are timber milling assessments and timber trailer

and crane assessments.

We have now taken delivery of all of the essential pieces of

equipment for the project. The tractor, winch, sawmill, timber

trailer and woodsplitter. We have also built up a good stock of

woodworking and ground working tools.

WiseWoods Wales is showing a steady income from wood

products and professional training courses, so as we head

into spring there is much to be optimistic about.

WiseWoods Wales Update

Business Manager: Andy Bakewell Site Supervisor: Rob Smith No. volunteer days: 39 No. volunteer hours: 337 No. of volunteers: 14